A 12-acre woodland on the outskirts of Ryde, purchased as a safe haven for the Island’s native red squirrels, was unveiled by the Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust (IOWRST) and Simon Howes earlier this week.
The woodland – named Howes Wood after the Atlantic rower whose fundraising efforts allowed the woodland to be purchased – was unveiled at a special opening ceremony on Monday (7th October).
Simon’s epic feat took him a mammoth 72 days and saw him row – on his own – for some 3,000 miles between the Canaries and St Lucia, unassisted. 68-year-old Simon and his boat were battered by 40ft waves with his boat overturning not once, but twice.
The money was then handed over to the IOWRST who – with another donation from Val Gwynn – worked to purchase the land situated off Harding Shute.
At the unveiling, IOWRST Chair Helen Butler MBE explained how the trust had tried on numerous occasions before to secure a site but had encountered some difficulties and false starts.
Having not long had access to the acreage, Helen and small team worked round the clock for little over a month to clear a parcel of the land which was littered with fallen and dead trees. There are hopes down the line to build squirrel hides, install bird boxes and bat boxes and, at some point, build a teaching facility for the Trust to use.
The Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust was founded back in 2005 and is committed to the protection and survival of native red squirrels, their habitat, and the species that share it with them. The Trust also seeks to educate the general public and raise awareness about the native red squirrels, and how to better protect them for the benefit of their survival.
For more information, or to get involved and support the Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust, click here.
The woodland is private and not publicly accessible.
